Second-year Blues

Here you are, reading a Minimax blog post from a highly mediocre author, if not less-than-so. This likely means that you are in a curious and motivated phase of your life. I am truly wondering if this text is actually for you, but in any case, I hope you find it useful.

Once, a great acquaintance of mine, who is some years older, told me about how second years at his university got special therapy sessions that address a so-called “sophomore slump” or “second-year syndrome.” At the time I thought it was some kind of hoax he was trying to prank me with, but it really does have some truth to it.

So, for your benefit, I'll give you a quick rundown of what "second-year blues" is all about, according to ChatGPT and Wikipedia (which are not the most credible sources, but for a meme, they'll do for now):

ChatGPT:

 "Second-year syndrome" is a phenomenon that has been observed in some students who are in their second year of college or university. It is characterized by a decline in academic performance and motivation, often accompanied by feelings of anxiety and depression. The exact cause of the syndrome is not known, but it is thought to be related to a combination of factors, such as the increased academic demands of the second year, a lack of clear goals or direction, and difficulty adjusting to the social and emotional aspects of college life.”

Wikipedia: 

“A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx, sophomore jitters, second-album syndrome (in the musical sense of the term), etc., refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the relatively high standards of the first effort.

It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of students (second year of high school, college or university), the performance of athletes (second season of play), singers/bands (second album), television shows (second seasons), films and video games (sequels/prequels).”

So there you have it. Now, let me add my own thoughts on the matter. A few months ago, I started feeling neutral about the future. I realized that the world economy and business culture are interconnected and incredibly complex, and I started thinking that, as an individual, I can't really make much of a difference. This feeling was compounded by the fact that I felt like I hadn't lived up to my own expectations academically. Every day, we're surrounded by people who are doing better than us in some way, and as economics students, we're also shown how there are solutions to many of the world's problems, but they're not being implemented because of power struggles and political games. We also have the minds and cognitive capacities to recognize how wealthy we are compared to certain countries and societies. We are at the economic top, here in Sweden, or the EU in general. This could obviously lead to some reflection that points toward our roles in this society and to the huge amounts of responsibility we hold.

So, we have two things: incredibly complex tasks that need to be solved and an ordinary person (like me and probably you). In the first year, we might have thought we were special, that we were somehow superhuman. We got into Handels, we started living on our own, and all the professors were telling us how smart and awesome we are. But after a while, you might start to realize that you're not that special or that smart, and that you have some pretty heavy responsibilities. And when those two things come together, BAM! Second-year syndrome. You feel lethargic, are unmotivated, and have lost your ambition.

However, I have asked some of my psychologist acquaintances about the condition and they confirm the statement that most of the sources say: the term is not scientific and has not yet been approved as a medical condition. They said the condition could potentially be attributed to burn-out, in addition to issues with coping with commitment and recent responsibility. Furthermore, it might as well have underlying social-psychological aspects to it, just as I tried to point out earlier.

The important question remains: how do we cope with this?

I don’t know.

However, I compiled some key points myself that I will now share with you, that have the potential to help you, just as they helped me overcome the effects of the condition.

• Sit down and think through what the core reasons are for you doing what you are doing. Re-evaluate them. Why do you study business?

• Outline some more short-term goals that can potentially contribute to these, so you have something more tangible to reach towards. This can give you short-term positive feedback on your process and role in society.

• Lower the number of those short-term goals so you have time to just rest without procrastinating.

• Try to come to a healthy understanding of the depth of your skills and talent, but also the limitations of it.

The most important thing to know is that whatever it is, or whether it is defined as a scientific condition or not, you are not alone, that many people get struck by second-year blues during their second semester or year.

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